a- not. abjure, apathy, abnormal.
ten- to hold. tenable, tenacious, tenancy.
se- without, apart. seclude, segregate, select.
※Definition
volition:the faculty or power of using one's will.
austere:severe or strict in manner, attitude, or appearance.
felicitous:well chosen or suited to the circumstances.
vertigo:a sensation of whirling and loss of balance, associated particularly with looking down from a great height, or caused by disease affecting the inner ear or the vestibular nerve; giddiness.
legerdemain:skillful use of one's hands when performing conjuring tricks.
tantalize:torment or tease (someone) with the sight or promise of something that is unobtainable.
tacit:understood or implied without being stated.
imperturbable:unable to be upset or excited; calm.
vituperation:bitter and abusive language.
vacillate:alternate or waver between different opinions or actions; be indecisive.
※A Room With A View
A Room with a View is a 1985 British romance film, directed by James Ivory and produced by Ismail Merchant, of E. M. Forster's 1908 novel of the same name. The film closely follows the novel by use of the chapter titles to section the film into thematic segments.Set in England and Italy, it is about a young woman in the restrictive and repressed culture of Edwardian era England and her developing love for a free-spirited young man.
※Ten Commandments
The Ten Commandments, also known as the Decalogue, are a set of biblical principles relating to ethics and worship, which play a fundamental role in Judaism and Christianity. The commandments include instructions to worship only God, to honour one's parents, and to keep the sabbath, as well as prohibitions against idolatry, blasphemy, murder, adultery, theft, dishonesty, and coveting. Different religious groups follow different traditions for interpreting and numbering them.
※The Road Not Taken by Robert Frost
Two roads diverged in a yellow wood,
And sorry I could not travel both
And be one traveler, long I stood
And looked down one as far as I could
To where it bent in the undergrowth;
Then took the other, as just as fair,
And having perhaps the better claim,
Because it was grassy and wanted wear;
Though as for that the passing there
Had worn them really about the same,
And both that morning equally lay
In leaves no step had trodden black.
Oh, I kept the first for another day!
Yet knowing how way leads on to way,
I doubted if I should ever come back.
I shall be telling this with a sigh
Somewhere ages and ages hence:
Two roads diverged in a wood, and I—
I took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference.
Aesop was an Ancient Greek fabulist or story teller credited with a number of fables now collectively known as Aesop's Fables. Although his existence remains uncertain and no writings by him survive, numerous tales credited to him were gathered across the centuries and in many languages in a storytelling tradition that continues to this day. Many of the tales are characterized by animals and inanimate objects that speak, solve problems, and generally have human characteristics.
※Parable of Jesus
The Parables of Jesus can be found in all the canonical gospels, and in some of the non-canonical gospels, but are located mainly within the three synoptic gospels. They represent a key part of the teachings of Jesus, forming approximately one third of his recorded teachings. Christians place high emphasis on these parables; since they are the purported words of Jesus, they are believed to be what the Father has taught, indicated by John 8:28 and 14:10
※Vocabulary Journal
WEEK37
confront(v) 1560s,
"to stand in front of," from Middle French confronter
(15c.), from Medieval Latin confrontare
"assign limits, adjoin," from Latin com
"with, together" (see com-) + frontem (nominative frons)
"forehead" (see front (n.)). Sense of
"to face in defiance or hostility" is late 16c. Related: Confronted; confronting.
antipathy(n) c. 1600, from
Latin antipathia, from Greek antipatheia,
abstract noun from antipathes "opposed in
feeling, having opposite feeling; in return for suffering; felt mutually,"
from anti "against" (see anti-) + root of pathos "feeling" (see pathos).
servile(adj) late 14c.,
from Latin servilis "of a slave" (as in Servile Wars, name given to the slave revolts in the late
Roman Republic), also "slavish, servile," from servus
"slave" (see serve (v.)). Earliest sense
was legal, servile work being forbidden on the
Sabbath; sense of "cringing, fawning" first recorded c. 1600.
volition(n) 1610s, from
French volition (16c.), from Medieval Latin volitionem (nominative volitio)
"will, volition," noun of action from Latin stem (as in volo "I wish") of velle
"to wish," from PIE root *wel- (2)
"to wish, will" (see will (v.)). Related: Volitional.
sojourn(n) mid-13c.,
"temporary stay, visit," from Anglo-French sojorn,
variant of Old French sejorn, from sejorner "stay or dwell for a time" (see sojourn (v.)).
austere(adj) early 14c.,
from Old French austere (Modern French austère) and directly from Latin austerus
"dry, harsh, sour, tart," from Greek austeros
"bitter, harsh," especially "making the tongue dry"
(originally used of fruits, wines), metaphorically "austere, harsh,"
from PIE *saus- "dry" (see sere (adj.)). Use in
English is figurative: "stern, severe, very simple." Related: Austerely.
felicitous(adj) 1726, "blissful, very happy," from felicity + -ous. There is an isolated
use of felicitously from 1530s.
halcyon(adj) "calm, quiet, peaceful," 1540s, in halcyon dayes (translating Latin alcyonei
dies, Greek alkyonides hemerai), 14 days of
calm weather at the winter solstice, when a mythical bird (also identified with
the kingfisher) was said to breed in a nest floating on calm seas. The name of
this fabulous bird is attested in Middle English as alcioun
(late 14c.).
The name is from Latin halcyon, alcyon, from Greek halkyon, variant (perhaps a misspelling) of alkyon "kingfisher," a word of unknown origin. The explanation that this is from hals "sea; salt" (see halo-) + kyon "conceiving," present participle of kyein "to conceive," literally "to swell" (see cumulus) probably is ancient folk-etymology to explain a loan-word from a non-Indo-European language. Identified in mythology with Halcyone, daughter of Aeolus, who when widowed threw herself into the sea and became a kingfisher.
The name is from Latin halcyon, alcyon, from Greek halkyon, variant (perhaps a misspelling) of alkyon "kingfisher," a word of unknown origin. The explanation that this is from hals "sea; salt" (see halo-) + kyon "conceiving," present participle of kyein "to conceive," literally "to swell" (see cumulus) probably is ancient folk-etymology to explain a loan-word from a non-Indo-European language. Identified in mythology with Halcyone, daughter of Aeolus, who when widowed threw herself into the sea and became a kingfisher.
tenable(adj) "capable of being held or
maintained," 1570s, from Middle French tenable,
from Old French (12c.), from tenir "to
hold," from Latin tenere "to hold,
keep" (see tenet).
superfluous(adj) early 15c. (earlier superflue,
late 14c.), from Latin superfluus
"unnecessary," literally "overflowing, running over," from superfluere "to overflow," from super "over" (see super-) + fluere "to flow" (see fluent). Related: Superfluously; superfluousness.
motivate(v) 1863,
"to stimulate toward action," from motive + -ate (2); perhaps modeled
on French motiver or German motivieren.
Related: Motivated; motivating.
rationalize(v) 1767, "explain in a rational way, make
conformable to reason," from rational + -ize. In the psychological
sense of "to give an explanation that conceals true motives" it dates
from 1922. Related: Rationalized; rationalizing.
therapy(n) 1846,
"medical treatment of disease," from Modern Latin therapia, from Greek therapeia
"curing, healing, service done to the sick; a waiting on, service,"
from therapeuein "to cure, treat
medically," literally "attend, do service, take care of" (see therapeutic).
nascent(adj) 1620s, from Latin nascentem
(nominative nascens) "arising young,
immature," present participle of nasci
"to be born" (Old Latin gnasci; see genus). Related: Nascence (1560s); nascency.
iconoclast(n) "breaker
or destroyer of images," 1590s, from French iconoclaste
and directly from Medieval Latin iconoclastes, from
Late Greek eikonoklastes, from eikon (genitive eikonos)
"image" + klastes "breaker,"
from klas- past tense stem of klan
"to break" (see clastic).
Originally in reference to those in the Eastern Church in 8c. and 9c. whose mobs of followers destroyed icons and other religious objects on the grounds that they were idols. Applied to 16c.-17c. Protestants in Netherlands who vandalized former Catholic churches on similar grounds. Extended sense of "one who attacks orthodox beliefs or cherished institutions" is first attested 1842.
Originally in reference to those in the Eastern Church in 8c. and 9c. whose mobs of followers destroyed icons and other religious objects on the grounds that they were idols. Applied to 16c.-17c. Protestants in Netherlands who vandalized former Catholic churches on similar grounds. Extended sense of "one who attacks orthodox beliefs or cherished institutions" is first attested 1842.
erudite(adj) early 15c.,
"learned, well-instructed," from Latin eruditus
"learned, accomplished, well-informed," past participle of erudire "to educate, teach, instruct, polish,"
literally "to bring out of the rough," from assimilated form of ex "out" (see ex-) + rudis "unskilled, rough, unlearned" (see rude). Related: Eruditely.
phobia(n)
"irrational fear, horror, aversion," 1786, perhaps on model of
similar use in French, abstracted from compounds in -phobia,
from Greek -phobia, from phobos
"fear, panic fear, terror, outward show of fear; object of fear or
terror," originally "flight" (still the only sense in Homer),
but it became the common word for "fear" via the notion of
"panic, fright" (compare phobein
"put to flight, frighten"), from PIE root *bhegw-
"to run" (source also of Lithuanian begu
"to flee;" Old Church Slavonic begu
"flight," bezati "to flee,
run;" Old Norse bekkr "a stream").
Psychological sense attested by 1895.
germane(adj) mid-14c., "having the same parents,"
same as german (adj.) but directly
from Latin germanus instead of via French (compare urbane/urban). Main modern sense
of "closely connected, relevant" (c. 1600) derives from use in
"Hamlet" Act V, Scene ii: "The phrase would bee more Germaine to
the matter: If we could carry Cannon by our sides," which is a figurative
use of the word in the now-obsolete loosened sense of "closely related,
akin" (late 15c.) in reference to things, not persons.
vertigo(n) early 15c.,
from Latin vertigo "dizziness, sensation of
whirling," originally "a whirling or spinning movement," from vertere "to turn" (see versus).
WEEK38
glib(adj) 1590s, "smooth and slippery," a dialect word, possibly a
shortening of obsolete glibbery
"slippery," which is perhaps from Low German glibberig
"smooth, slippery," from Middle Low German glibberich,
from or related to glibber "jelly," all
part of the Germanic group of gl- words for
"smooth, shining, joyful" (see glad (adj.)). Of words, speakers, etc., from c. 1600. Related: Glibly; glibness.
homogenous(adj) a spelling of homogeneous that represents a common pronunciation, perhaps by influence of homogenize.
malleable(adj) late 14c., "capable of being shaped by hammering," from Middle
French malleable and directly from Medieval Latin malleabilis, from malleare
"to beat with a hammer," from Latin malleus
"hammer" (see mallet). Figurative sense, of persons, "capable of being adapted" first
recorded 1610s.
legerdemain(n) early 15c., "conjuring tricks, sleight of hand," from Middle
French léger de main "quick of hand,"
literally "light of hand." Léger
"light" in weight (Old French legier,
12c.) is from Latin levis "light," from
PIE root *legwh- "light, having little weight;
easy, agile, nimble" (see lever); it is cognate with Spanish ligero, Italian leggiero "light, nimble" (hence also leger line in music). Main
"hand" is from Latin manus (see manual (adj.)).
trend(n) "the way something bends" (coastline, mountain range, etc.),
1777, earlier "round bend of a stream" (1620s), from trend (v.); sense of "general course or direction" is from 1884. Sense
of "a prevailing new tendency in popular fashion or culture" is from
c. 1950.
stagnant(adj) 1660s, from French stagnant (early 17c.), from
Latin stagnantem (nominative stagnans),
present participle of stagnare "to
stagnate" (see stagnate). Related: Stagnancy (1650s); stagnantly.
fatal(adj) late 14c., "decreed by fate," also "fraught with
fate," from Middle French fatal (14c.) and
directly from Latin fatalis "ordained by fate,
decreed, destined; destructive, deadly," from fatum
(see fate (n.)); sense of "causing or attended with death" in English is
from early 15c. Meaning "concerned with or dealing with destiny" is
from mid-15c.
passe(adj) 1775, from French passé (fem. passée) "past, faded," past participle of passer "to pass" (see pass (v.)). Originally of a woman past the period of greatest beauty.
procrastinate(v) 1580s, a back formation from procrastination
or else from Latin procrastinatus, past participle
of procrastinare "to put off till tomorrow;
defer, delay" (see procrastination). Related: Procrastinated; procrastinating. Earlier verb was procrastine
(1540s), from French.
facet(n) 1620s, "one side of a
multi-sided body," from French facette (12c.,
Old French facete), diminutive of face "face, appearance" (see face (n.)). The diamond-cutting sense is the original one. Transferred and
figurative use by 1820. Related: Faceted; facets.
foist(v)1540s, probably from Dutch vuisten "take
in hand," from Middle Dutch vuist
"fist" (see fist (n.)). Earliest sense was cheating at dice by concealing a loaded one in
the palm of the hand with the intention of introducing it into play; general
meaning "introduce surreptitiously, work in by a trick" is from
1560s. Related: Foisted; foisting.
stigmatize(v) 1580s, "to brand or tattoo," from Medieval Latin stigmatizare, from Greek stigmatizein,
from stigmat-, stem of stigma
(see stigma). Meaning "to blemish" is from 1610s (figurative), 1630s
(literal). Related: Stigmatized; stigmatizing.
capitulate(v) 1570s, "to draw up in chapters" (i.e., under "heads"),
in part a back-formation from capitulation, in part from Medieval Latin capitulatus, past
participle of capitulare "to draw up in heads
or chapters, arrange conditions." Often of terms of surrender, hence
meaning "to yield on stipulated terms" (1680s). Related: Capitulated; capitulating.
audacity(n) mid-15c., from Medieval Latin audacitas "boldness," from Latin audacis genitive of audax
(see audacious).
tantalize(v) 1590s, with -ize + Latin Tantalus, from Greek Tantalos, king of Phrygia, son of
Zeus, father of Pelops and Niobe, punished in the afterlife (for an offense
variously given) by being made to stand in a river up to his chin, under
branches laden with fruit, all of which withdrew from his reach whenever he
tried to eat or drink. His story was known to Chaucer (c. 1369). Related: Tantalized; tantalizing; tantalizingly; tantalization.
retort(v) 1550s, "make return in kind" (especially of an injury), from Old
French retort and directly from Latin retortus, past participle of retorquere
"turn back, twist back, throw back," from re-
"back" (see re-) + torquere "to twist" (see torque (n.)). Applied to exchanges of jest or sarcasm by c. 1600, hence "say
or utter sharply and aggressively in reply" (1620s). Related: Retorted; retorting.
reticent(adj) 1834, from Latin reticentem (nominative reticens), present participle of reticere
"be silent" (see reticence).
tacit(adj) c. 1600, "silent, unspoken," from French tacite
and directly from Latin tacitus "that is
passed over in silence, done without words, assumed as a matter of course,
silent," past participle of tacere "be
silent, not speak," from suffixed form of PIE root *tak-
"to be silent" (source also of Gothic þahan,
Old Norse þegja "to be silent," Old Norse
þagna "to grow dumb," Old Saxon thagian, Old High German dagen
"to be silent"). The musical instruction tacet
is the 3rd person present singular of the Latin verb. Related: Tacitly.
chicanery(n) c. 1600, "legal quibbling, sophistry," from French chicanerie "trickery," from Middle French chicaner "to pettifog, quibble" (15c.), which
is of unknown origin, perhaps from Middle Low German schikken
"to arrange, bring about," or from the name of a golf-like game once
played in Languedoc. Thornton's "American Glossary" has shecoonery (1845), which it describes as probably a
corruption of chicanery.
docile(adj) late 15c., "easily taught," from Italian or French docile, from Latin docilis
"easily taught," from docere
"teach" (see doctor). Sense of "obedient, submissive" first recorded 1774.
WEEK39
saga(n) 1709, an antiquarians' revival to
describe the medieval prose narratives of Iceland and Norway, from Old Norse saga "saga, story," cognate with Old English sagu "a saying" (see saw (n.2)). Properly, a narrative composition of Iceland or Norway in the
Middle Ages, or one that has their characteristics. Meaning "long,
convoluted story" is from 1857.
belated(adj) 1610s, "overtaken by night," past participle adjective from belate "to make late, detain," from be- + late. Sense of "coming past due, behind date" is from 1660s. Related:
Belatedly.
decrepit(adj) mid-15c., from Middle French décrépit (15c.),
from Latin decrepitus "very old, infirm,"
from de- "down" (see de-) + *crepitus, past participle of crepare "to crack, break" (see raven).
imperturbable(adj) c. 1500, from Middle French imperturbable
(15c.) and directly from Late Latin imperturbabilis
"that cannot be disturbed" (Augustine), from assimilated form of in- "not, opposite of" (see in- (1)) + *perturbabilis, from Latin perturbare "to confuse, disturb" (see perturb). Related: Imperturbably (1785); imperturbability (1831; earlier as a dictionary word); imperturbation.
vacillate(v) 1590s, "to sway unsteadily," from Latin vacillatus,
past participle of vacillare "sway to and fro;
hesitate" (see vacillation). Meaning "to waver between two opinions or courses" is recorded
from 1620s. Related: Vacillated; vacillates; vacillating.
staunch (adj) early 15c., "impervious to water," from Old French estanche "firm, watertight," fem. of estanc "tired, exhausted, wearied, vanquished;
water-tight; withered, dried" (Modern French étanche),
from Vulgar Latin *stanticare (source also of
Spanish estanco "water-tight," Italian stanco "exhausted, weary"), probably from Latin
stans (genitive stantis),
present participle of stare "to stand,"
from PIE root *stā- "to stand" (see stet). Sense of "strong, substantial" first recorded mid-15c.; of
persons, "standing firm and true to one's principles" from 1620s.
opprobrium(n) 1680s, from Latin opprobrium "disgrace,
infamy, scandal, dishonor," from opprobare
(see opprobrious).
Machiavellian(adj) "cunning, deceitful, unscrupulous," 1570s, from Niccolo
Machiavelli (1469-1527), Florentine statesman and author of "Il Principe," a work advising rulers to place
advantage above morality. A word of abuse in English well before his works were
translated ("The Discourses" in 1636, "The Prince" in
1640), in part because his books were Indexed by the Church, in part because of
French attacks on him (such as Gentillet's, translated into English 1602).
unconscionable(adj) 1560s, "showing no regard for conscience," from un- (1) + now rare conscionable "conscientious." Related: Unconscionably.
pandemonium(n) 1667, Pandæmonium,
in "Paradise Lost" the name of the palace built in the middle of
Hell, "the high capital of Satan and all his peers," coined by John
Milton (1608-1674) from Greek pan- "all"
(see pan-) + Late Latin daemonium "evil
spirit," from Greek daimonion "inferior
divine power," from daimon "lesser
god" (see demon).
Transferred sense "place of uproar" is from 1779; that of "wild, lawless confusion" is from 1865. Related: Pandemoniac; pandemoniacal; pandemonian; pandemonic.
Transferred sense "place of uproar" is from 1779; that of "wild, lawless confusion" is from 1865. Related: Pandemoniac; pandemoniacal; pandemonian; pandemonic.
flay(v) Old English flean "to skin, to
flay" (strong verb, past tense flog, past participle flagen), from
Proto-Germanic *flahan (source also of Middle Dutch vlaen, Old High German
flahan, Old Norse fla), from PIE root *pl(e)ik-, *pleik- "to tear,
rend" (source also of Lithuanian plešiu "to tear"). Related:
Flayed; flaying.
demeanor(n) late 15c., from obsolete Middle English demean
"handle, manage, conduct," later "behave in a certain way"
(early 14c.), from Old French demener (11c.) "to guide, conduct; to live,
dwell," from de- "completely" (see de-) + mener "to lead,
direct," from Latin minari "to threaten," in Late Latin "to
drive (a herd of animals);" see menace (n.). Sense in English evolved from
notion of "conduct, manage" (oneself). Spelling changed by influence
of nouns in -or, -our.
delineation (n) 1560s,
native formation from delineate, or else from Latin delineationem (nominative
delineatio) "sketch, description," noun of action from past
participle stem of delineare (see delineate).
vindicate(v) 1620s, "to avenge or
revenge," from Latin vindicatus, past participle of vindicare "to
stake a claim; to liberate; to act as avenger" (see vindication). Meaning
"to clear from censure or doubt, by means of demonstration" is
recorded from 1630s. Related: Vindicated, vindicating.
heinous(adj) late 14c., "hateful, odious,
atrocious," from Old French hainos "inconvenient, awkward; hateful,
unpleasant; odious" (12c., Modern French haineux), from haine
"hatred, hate," from hair "to hate," from Frankish, from
Proto-Germanic *hatjan, from PIE *kad- "sorrow, hatred" (see hate
(v.)). Related: Heinously; heinousness.
turpitude (n) "depravity,
infamy," late 15c., from Middle French turpitude (early 15c.), from Latin
turpitudinem (nominative turpitudo) "baseness," from turpis
"vile, physically ugly, base, unsightly," figuratively "morally
ugly, scandalous, shameful," of unknown origin. Klein suggests perhaps
originally "what one turns away from" (compare Latin trepit "he
turns").
infraction(n)
mid-15c., "the breaking of an agreement," from Old French infraction
(13c.) and directly from Latin infractionem (nominative infractio) "a
breaking, weakening," noun of action from past participle stem of
infringere "to damage, break off, break, bruise," from in-
"in" (see in- (2)) + frangere "to break" (see fraction).
The verb infract (1560s) is archaic.
callous(adj) c. 1400, "hardened," in
the physical sense, from Latin callosus "thick-skinned," from callus,
callum "hard skin" (see callus). The figurative sense of
"unfeeling" appeared in English by 1670s. Related: Callously; callousness.
redress(v) mid-14c., "to correct, reform;" late 14c.,
"restore, put right" (a wrong, error, offense); "repair;
relieve; improve; amend," from Old French redrecier "reform, restore,
rebuild" (Modern French redresser), from re- "again" (see re-) +
drecier "to straighten, arrange" (see dress (v.)). Formerly used in
many more senses than currently. Related: Redressed; redressing.
vituperation(n) mid-15c., but rare before early 19c., from Latin
vituperationem (nominative vituperatio) "blame, a blaming,
censuring," from past participle stem of vituperare "disparage, find
fault with," from vitiperos "having faults," from vitium
"fault, defect" (see vice (n.1)) + parare "prepare, provide,
procure" (see pare). Vituperatio was stronger than either Latin
reprehensio or Modern English vituperation.
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